Tackhead Tape Time: C/D

On the other hand, I appreciate the extra fucked-up ness of the Tackhead Tape Time versions of these songs, and you also get a song or two not released elsewhere.. but just keep in mind that, despite it being really easy to find, Tackhead fans usually find this album a bit puzzling in retrospect. It's a Tackhead dog's breakfast.. not unlike how the self titled Mark Stewart album from that same year was a muffled dog's breakfast as well..

not heard this in years, but damn, having thought for years i was all about the dub aspect of on-u sound, this album really hit the spot.

however, i would love a proper anthology/boxset of the full versions in remastered form, as the cd is very quiet.

just listening to this last week! the record. for the first time since it came out. sounded cool. didn't keep it though. put it out in the store for 6 bucks. got the first african head charge album recently. took that home. that's a keeper.

hearing this though, man, it was like i had heard it yesterday. i knew every note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8MN3XcJf_k

well in my drunken state last night i ordered all three of the power inc. compilations that keith put out on his blanc label.

suspect that they could be just what i'm after ..

TackHead Tape Time... Hard Left... Just fucking A1 heavy scientific shit.

.. "damn right"..

so many u-sound/tack head threads...

i have recently discovered "WHAT'S MY MISSION NOW". oh my how delightful. some of the most violent drum hits i've ever heard.. perfect rough grinding cyborg vibe *BZZZZZZZZT CHUN CHUN CHUN CHUN*

"Now What" on the other side is even better!

"Now What" on the other side is even better!

a 6 and half minute version of which is on the recent trevor jackson curated compilation of course.

On-U Sound puts out compilation after compilation, but can they get it together to put all the original Tackhead and Gary Clail 12"s onto a single CD? NO, they cannot. This pisses me off to no end.

Note: the Tackhead Sound Crash mix CD, done by Sherwood back in 2006, is also very good.

but can they get it together to put all the original Tackhead and Gary Clail 12"s onto a single CD? NO, they cannot. This pisses me off to no end.

as you know all too well, i love on-u, but this is absolutely spot on.
i used to think that this was cos Tackhead = KLB/WorldRecords, and Gary Clail = On-U/AMS, but as you say, Tackhead tracks now appear on compilations.
i got the three 'pay it all back' compilations that KLB released of various Tackhead tracks just to get more, but it really is a full set of all the early 12" tracks/b-sides that i have ever wanted.

and yes, the slash-n-mix release is brilliant.

however, i would love a proper anthology/boxset of the full versions in remastered form, as the cd is very quiet.
― mark e, Friday, 25 May 2012 22:27 (five years ago)

.. as i have clearly said before.

I have now emailed On-U through their Bandcamp page to request a compilation of all the Tackhead and Clail 12" singles up through "Ticking Time Bomb." I wonder if I'll even get a reply...

haha !
brilliant idea.
last year i hassled them re a reissue of "Vaccuum Pumping" (Singers and Players) as its not available via any of their outlets and i have a mint vinyl edition.
they came back and said that they are trying to source the original tapes but they are lost, and if they can't source them, they may indeed use my vinyl.
basically, they do monitor their digital communications.
i have heard its all down to a top bloke at Warp who is a huge On-U fan, hence the deal with Bleep.
for all the chaos of the last 20 years, the bleep thing has been brilliant for the label.
i just hope it continues.
i am really looking forward to the DS boxset thats coming out in a few weeks.

Yes, all the recent On U activity is at the behest of the Warp guy and my take on it is that these are as much aimed at a new audience as at On U aficionados. I can see why there hasn't been / might not be a Tackhead comp as much as I love all the early Tackhead stuff, overall I think it hasn't aged very well compared with most of the other On U catalogue of that era and there is more interesting On U music to introduce to a new audience. Personally I think only the "Mind At The End Of The Tether / Is There A Way Out?" and "What's My Mission Now? / Now What?" 12"s have really stood the test of time out of all the Tackhead / Clail catalogue.

Personally I think only the "Mind At The End Of The Tether / Is There A Way Out?" and "What's My Mission Now? / Now What?" 12"s have really stood the test of time out of all the Tackhead / Clail catalogue.

possibly true.

however, i would say there are valid historical reasons to have the material available again, irrespective of whether the music has stood the test of time or not.

subsequently i was going to suggest the power inc. compilations again which covers this period (sort of), but i have jst checked on amazon.

f*ck me, the prices have gone insane !

basically, the early stuff does need to be reissued again even if in just digital form.

i would say there are valid historical reasons to have the material available again

there are possibly valid economic reasons not to. ;-)

I received a response:

This would be a beautiful thing. Getting all the members to agree is another matter tho - this will happen one day is all I can say at the moment.

cheers

Matthew / On-U Sound

Getting all the members to agree is another matter tho..

weird given the whole gang all still work together on a relatively regular basis.
i mean little axe was effectively tackhead but in more genteel sonic surroundings, and i know clail still pushes a lot of his on-u material so he still has a lot of love for it.

Man, sad news -- Keith LeBlanc has passed, per Tackhead's social media accounts.

So sad to hear this. A formative influence! I think i saw him live around 25 times and he always made it look deceptively easy though it was obvious he was pushing the tech to the absolute limits. what a player! I saw him play the final Mark Stewart / Tackhead tour in 2022 and he did look quite frail though he still played like he did in the 80s. Really sad.

the first time i saw tack>>head was in a small leeds club in 87 before bernie fowler was part of the gang properly.
so it was all the early material.
before tack>>head came on, KLB did a solo set that was just spellbinding (was probably Major Malfu(n)ction material, can't recall).
such a small drum kit, but such a massive sound.
i took along a drummer friend of mine, and he was dumbstruck as to what KLB was able to do live.
r.i.p to an absolute legend.

he would occasionally share videos of him performing his original drum beats on his facebook. here's one of him performing "that's the joint" (one of the absolute best singles of all time)
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4460662590619399

one of the weirdest remixes i have was this unexpected team up.
guess there was a bill to be paid.
still, it's clearly a KLB track.

KLB vs S*M*A*S*H

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7X7NL99ekk

Oh man, I low-key loved KLB. In addition to being an unbelievable drummer (that Facebook post above!) and appearing on a zillion records (including things like Annie Lennox’s Diva in a understated role), he was one of the first drummers to embrace programming drum machines (Oberheim DMX IIRC). Plus, his sample CDs (which he eventually made available for free) have appeared in roughly 98% of my music in some way the last decade or so. “No Sell-Out” still bangs. RIP.

heartbreaking

I watched a few podcast interviews with Keith this weekend and had never realized the extent to which he was responsible for “Head Like a Hole” and “Down In It” on Pretty Hate Machine. He said he was likely recruited for the job based on his work with Mark Stewart and the Mafia and didn’t care for the material on the demos at all. But Keith said he programmed almost the entirety of those tracks and if you listen to the latter with that in mind, the beat sounds completely lifted from a Tackhead record.

What’s interesting tho is that a big piece of the NIN appeal was 1) melodicism (in a genre that wasn’t known for it) and 2) next gen electronic sound design. Reznor would continue the latter by working with Flood and playing with the guys from Filter among others. And, to be fair, he would increasingly do more and more of the programming himself. But a huge part of the NIN appeal and ethos can be traced to his work with KLB.

Gutted. Haven't really had a moment yet to have myself a bit of a KLB marathon. This weekend though.

Did someone say “I’d like 45 hours of Tackhead-related projects”? I thought you did: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65qzDCROODZS4UZXF0fvXt?si=FlZshV8BSZ-_ZXIMeKOHlA&pi=u-Uyk6HFzuTauZ

And here’s 9 (fake edit: 10) hours of Tackhead proper:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4DdKI7A98llxcsyKk4nGoj?si=21DzinoJQLyXVHMA54FRYA&pi=u-V5a3dx27TDiV

^^those are awesome, thanks a lot for sharing